During the past decade, ICPF has donated or placed over $11.5 million in corrugated equipment (CAD systems, sample tables, testing systems, presses, rotary die cutters, stackers, dryers and related equipment) and other resources to advance college and university curricula to better prepare those students planning to enter the corrugated industry. (The shelf value of the additional donations of design and related software far exceed this $11.5 million figure.)

The Career Portal portion of ICPF's website additionally provides a listing of available internships and entry level positions in the industry to which students and recent graduates can directly apply online. Since the free Career Portal is regularly visited by industry recruiters, upcoming and recent graduates are encouraged to post their resumes there as well. Not only has the portal been a successful tool for students to acquire internships and new graduates to secure careers, it is a successful resource for firms in the industry. Over the past several years, almost 90% of the openings posted there have been filled by a combination of direct application through the career portal, use of its resume bank and ICPF's Corrugated Packaging & Displays Career LinkedIn Network.

ICPF's online corrugated curricula is available free through its website for packaging, graphic design, flexography, business and related faculty and their students. It also serves as a resource for ICPF corporate partners in their work with new employees, community colleges and technical schools. The corrugated curricula provides a comprehensive overview of corrugated manufacturing, from a brief history to details on production, design, performance specifications, testing processes, and corrugated packaging's role as a cost-effective, high-performance, renewable, recyclable and sustainable packaging choice.

ICPF has distributed thousands of its Careers in Corrugated DVD to colleges, universities, high schools and corporate partners. The DVD presents information and video clips on the industry and its many different careers for new graduates. These video clips are available under the Careers in Corrugated section of the website, making this information accessible to a broader spectrum of students.

Over the past 28 years, ICPF has conducted numerous other educational initiatives, programs, and competitions to advance student and faculty knowledge of the corrugated packaging industry, and the exciting career opportunities this $30.8 billion-a-year industry offers. Several of these include a National Logo Design Competition for graphic design students, seventeen annual International Careers in Corrugated Teleconferences for colleges and universities across North America, dozens of student /executive dialogue dinners, six national Chair Affair design competitions with winning entries displayed in the National Building Museum in Washington D. C. where Vern Yip of Design Star and Trading Spaces fame served as ICPF's Honorary Chair; and its annual, live, Best of the Best student design presentation competition where student team winners from AICC's annual design competition are challenged to "show, tell, and sell" their winning corrugated designs to fellow students during ICPF's annual teleconferences. More information on these and other programs are provided on this website.ICPF is a non-profit corporation. The Internal Revenue Service has approved ICPF as an philanthropic, educational foundation that may accept tax-deductible contributions from companies, individuals, and other organizations. ICPF is co-sponsored by AICC - The Independent Packaging Association (based in the Washington D.C. area) and the Fibre Box Association (based in the Chicago area).

AICC (which along with the Fibre Box Association serves as a co-sponsoring association in support of the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation - ICPF) conducts its own annual Student Design Competition that recognizes the best student team packaging & display designs entered in three distinct categories. Entry into the competition provides students and their college/university packaging design programs with a great opportunity to showcase creative talent and successful programs to corrugated packaging and display professionals from around the world. The competition guidelines are usually released each December, with student design entries due by early June.

Provided that half of the original team is comprised of underclassmen, the 1st and 2nd place winning teams of students in the first two categories of AICC's annual competition are eligible to participate in ICPF's own annual "Best of the Best" Student Design Presentation Run-Off Competition. The student competition is conducted the following February during ICPF's Careers in Corrugated Packaging & Display Teleconference that is broadcasted to colleges and universities across North America. During the live competition, the qualifying student teams are provided five minutes to "show, tell and sell" their winning entries for cash prizes. More information on the AICC Student Design Competition can be found on AICC's website.

Each year the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) conducts an interactive, Careers in Corrugated Packaging & Displays Teleconference for packaging, graphic design, marketing & sales, business, engineering, supply chain and related students from colleges and universities across North America. Corrugated packaging & displays industry executives present topics of interest to students and faculty, and answer questions from the 400 - 500 students participating from 15 to 20 remote campuses. The Teleconferences are moderated by recent graduates or student interns who were prepared and then recruited to the corrugated packaging & displays industry through ICPF's resources. The Teleconference is not a webinar, but an actual, interactive video broadcast utilizing PBS producers and their studios in East Lansing, Michigan. The two hour conference also includes the live "Best of the Best" student design presentation competition with cash awards to competing student teams.

The evening before the Teleconference, ICPF hosts its annual student / executive dialogue dinner where top students join the Teleconference speakers and local industry executives for dinner to learn more about corrugated packaging & display industry careers.

Faculty are encouraged to contact info@icpfbox.org or call 703.549.8580 for participation information for next year's teleconference. Click here for the program. If you are a student who wishes to participate in the Student Dialogue Dinner or the Teleconference, contact info@icpfbox.org or call ICPF at the number above.

2017 Teleconference on the Business of Corrugated Packaging & DisplaysICPF conducted its interactive Teleconference on The Business of Corrugated Packaging & Displays and the Career Opportunities February 23, 2017. Students and faculty learned more about "The Business of Corrugated Packaging & Displays" including the business side of corrugated, it’s unique sustainability and career opportunities. Click here for the 2017 program.

Previous conference topics include: the diverse, challenging careers in corrugated; sustaining your future, the latest innovations and sustainability advances in the corrugated industry; the latest digital printing technology; marketing and sales within the industry, innovations in corrugated structures and graphic design and the business of corrugated packaging and displays from both an integrated and independent firm perspective.

ICPF encourages packaging, graphic design, marketing, supply chain management, engineering, business and related schools to participate in the next International Interactive Teleconference. For more information, email ICPF at info@icpfbox.org.

The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) expands technical education opportunities at educational institutions across the country to benefit both students and corrugated industry employees through asset donations. ICPF has increased the acquisition and placement of corrugated equipment assets at educational institutions in which the industry has input into the development of the corrugated curriculum.

Look below to see the schools that have received ICPF asset placements and/or curriculum support.